2019 Lane Setting 25th April

The Lane Setting takes place the first Thursday after Easter each year.

A Brief History of the Setting of the Lanes at Ratcliffe Culey

in the Parish of Witherley and Shire of Leicester

In 1766 and Act of Parliament made provision for the Enclosure of Ratcliffe Culey. It provided for Commissioners to maintain the roads and for the annual Setting of the Lanes to raise monies for the maintenance of the roads.

The earliest record of the Setting of the Lanes in Ratcliffe Culey is made by John Eaton and formed part of the accounts he gave up to the Constable and Overseer of the Highways in 1786, a score years after Ratcliffe Culey was enclosed.

The lane rents for 1786 were:

Mr Lythal for Lees Lane £1 0s 0d

Mr Buck for Broad Lane £6 0s 0d

Mr Choyce for Far Fields 9s 0d

William Cooper for Gravel Pits 10s 0d

Mr Dauchan for Pinfold 1s 0d

Total £8 0s 0d

With the passage of time some of the lanes have had their names changed, but Broad Lane, Gravel Pits and Pinfold Lane remain, Lees Lane is now Leicester Lane.

The first mention of the Lanes being set from Easter to Easter was in 1801 – 1802, although Easter Monday was the date laid down in the Act of Enclosure for the Setting.

Between 1801 and 1867 the Lane Setting was changed from Easter Monday to the first Thursday after Easter.

Over the years some of the Lanes were included then excluded. Pinfold Lane is no longer included, Hinckley Lane now called Ratcliffe House Lane was first mentioned in 1825, Ormes lane in 1874, when just the scrapings were included; there were no offers for these!

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If you like the village you live in and are interested in protecting the future of your small patch of the countryside; please do not hesitate to attend one of the NDP meetings and find out how we can all impact upon the development of our villages.